


The Wall

by WildChildALR



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU, Aenys Targaryen - Freeform, F/M, Jon Snow is a Stark, King Maegor I Targaryen, The Great Wall AU, The Night King, The Night's Watch, The Starks guard The Wall, White Walkers, Wrights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:12:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10061108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildChildALR/pseuds/WildChildALR
Summary: Long ago the greed and violence wrought by King Maegor I Targaryen across Westeros brought forth a curse from the Gods from the north. Wrights of the undead marched from the frozen wastelands destroying and consuming all in their path. However, they were held at bay by the strength, bravery and sacrifice of the Starks and their bannermen. Knowing the legions were not defeated, merely regrouping, Brandon Stark commissions a wall to be built of ice and stone to protect those to the south. For hundreds of years the Starks have stood guard on The Wall.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing

During the fifth year of Winter during the reign of Robert Baratheon, Prince Oberyn travels north with a group of twenty men. Having crossed The Gorge they find themselves just north of The Wall. After being pursued by the Brotherhood Without Banners for several days, only four men remain; Prince Oberyn, his squire Daemon Sand and two others. Upon escaping they seek refuge in a cave but they are attacked by an unknown monster leaving only Oberyn and Daemon alive, Oberyn having slashed off the creature’s hand. The next day, they stumble upon The Wall and are taken prisoner by Northern soldiers of a secretive military sect called the Night’s Watch which is led by General Robb Stark and Strategist Luwin.

The Night’s Watch is a military order commissioned by the Starks consisting of members of their own family as well as their bannermen and others who pledge themselves from lands bellow The Wall. The Watch’s sole purpose is to repel the wrights known as White Walkers who rise every 100 years.

At first Oberyn tells his captors that those in his homeland of Dorne far to the south have heard stories of the Night’s Watch, but few believe they are real. He insists he always thought them true but sought proof in order to persuade his elder brother Doran that the group needed their support and aide. In reality he seeks black powder, an explosive substance many claim the Starks use to battle the White Walkers. Oberyn wishes to use the powder as a weapon against the Lannisters whom he believes ordered the deaths of his sister and her children when Robert took the throne.  

The commanding officers are shocked upon seeing the monster’s severed hand among Oberyn’s belongings, as the Watch believed the invasion was still weeks away. Suddenly, a wave of monsters attack the Wall, and the battalions are mobilized. With no time to secure the prisoners, Robb orders them to be guarded on the Wall until after the battle.

The Night’s Watch is divided into five special units: Robb Stark commands the melee-specialist Bear Troop, his sister Sansa leads the acrobatic-specialist Raven Troop. The archer-specialist Eagle Troop is led by young Bran Stark, while the siege engine-specialist Wolf Troop serves under Jon, and Arya commands the horse-mounted Mammoth Troop. Heavy losses are sustained on both sides before the monster’s King calls back his troops. During the battle Oberyn and Daemon are freed by Rickon Stark, the youngest of the siblings, and Oberyn in turn saves his life when a number of White Walkers scale the Wall. The forginer’s skill and battle prowess earn them respect from Robb and Strategist Luwin.

During the feast that night Oberyn speaks with Sansa wondering at how her family has been able to keep such monsters at bay for so long with little to no aid from the rest of the kingdom. She replies that they have the support of their bannermen and the knowledge that their sacrifices are for the protection of all of Westeros. Despite his desire to simply take what he came for and leave Oberyn begins to respect and sympathize with what the Watch have dedicated their lives to. Later, Oberyn and Daemon meet Lord Petyr Baelish, a minor noble from The Vale. Petyr tells them he too had wondered North searching for black powder… nearly twenty years ago. Like the Dornishmen he was captured and held prisoner but had integrated himself with The Watch by securing funds for weapons and supplies. The three foreign mercenaries discuss plans to steal black powder from the storeroom and flee while the soldiers are occupied by battle. Later, Strategist Luwin meets with Oberyn and explains the situation: The monsters that he has fought are called White Walkers, which originated from the Lands of Always Winter two thousand years ago. The Northerners believe the Walkers were sent from the gods to punish the king for abusing his authority over the kingdom and the people. They attack northern Westeros once every one hundred years, an invasion for which the Watch has been training for their entire lives.

During the night two Walkers reach the top of the Wall and kill several watchmen. Robb and Sansa lead a squadron of Bear Troop warriors but are ambushed in a trap set by the monsters. Though the Walkers are slain Robb is severely wounded and Sansa is left in command while his fate remains uncertain. Around this time, an envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll which suggests that the monsters are most easily killed with weapons made of Dragonglass. Luwin believes the stone Oberyn had carried all this time is what enabled him to dismember a White Walker so easily the night before they reached the Wall. The discovery is a disquieting one because the Watch has always depended on Valyrian steel for their weapons, and while it is one of the few materials able to kill a White Walker, Dragonglass is much more effective. Hoping to make an escape Oberyn suggests that he, Petyr and Daemon be allowed to ride for the capital of King’s Landing and demand adequate supplies of the material on behalf of the Watch. For they are from the lands to the South and know the roads and terrain better then those who have never been more than 30 miles bellow the Wall. Though Sansa considers the idea she decides the Watch’s secrets must be protected and refuses, ultimately ordering Petyr to use his supply network to obtain what they need. This puts a damper of the three foreigners plans to escape but Daemon and Petyr readily agree to try again during the next attack, to which Oberyn reluctantly goes along with.

During the next attack, the Walkers are numerous enough to cause Sansa to resort to using black powder rockets, whose existence had been kept secret from the Southerners until now. Though they manage to beat back the hordes the Watch has suffered many losses and at the discovery of a hole at the base of the Wall through which the Night King has led his troops to the lands beyond, a hopelessness settles upon the order. While Sansa and her siblings investigate the tunnel Daemon and Petyr break into the Armory and attempt to steal weapons and black powder. Oberyn commands them to stop but Daemon mocks him claiming he is allowing his sister’s murder to remain unavenged due to his attraction to Sansa. The pair fight until Petyr knocks the prince out with a studded club. Oberyn is arrested by the Watch for aiding in the theft and escape but is saved by Rickon’s eyewitness testimony that he actually tried to stop it. Despite this Sansa orders Oberyn to be locked up.

A short distance away while being pursued by the Mammoth troop, Daemon is betrayed by Petyr and abandoned. However Petyr is captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners, who inadvertently destroy themselves and Petyr by igniting some of the stolen powder. Daemon eventually reclaims the horses and remaining powder but is soon after captured by the Mammoth troop.

Knowing that the horde is nearing the capital, Sansa orders the use of Direwolves to reach the capital in time. The creatures are as big as horses and have never been used in combat before so their training is extremely limited making them almost as dangerous as the White Walkers. Before setting out for the capital Sansa sends word to Luwin to set Oberyn free with instructions to tell the rest of the kingdom what is about to come. But Oberyn decides to stay and wrangles the last remaining Direwolf along with Luwin and Rickson. They arrive just in time to see Sansa’s wolf be shot out from under her as she entered the capital and they save her from being torn apart by the undead horde. Fighting their way to the palace they discover that King Robert is dead, having ridden out to battle the Walkers and that his spoiled, inept son Joffery is now the ruling monarch. The new king rages at the Watch for allowing the Walkers to reach the capital but promises to make Sansa his mistress if they manage to save the city. Appalled Sansa never the less assures him that she will give her life to see the Walkers defeated.

As they search the King’s armory for Dragonglass Oberyn confesses to Sansa the true reason he journey to the Wall. That his sister and her young children had been brutally murdered and he sought vengeance against those responsible, but in doing so he was likely responsible for the breach of the Wall and the destruction that followed. Instead of striking him like he expected Sansa gently but firmly takes his hand assuring him that he is not the first to discover that those who seek vengeance should dig two graves, and that it is thanks to him that they know of the potency of Dragonglass against the White Walkers. Soon after Luwin enters the armory, having searched the ancient archives for more information about the new weapon material. Rickon follows close behind, his arms laden with scrolls. Luwin announces that he has discovered information that leads him to believe that if the Night King is killed, all of his soldiers will perish as well.

He reads an account of how King Maegor, no longer desiring to rule jointly with his brother Aenys, tricked Aenys to travel North to quell a non-existent rebellion headed by the Starks and supported by the Wildling hill-folk of the far North. Convincing Aenys to attack the Wildings first Maegor leads the way into the Lands of Always Winter. Once they reached the barren wastelands Maegor buried a blade of Dragonglass into Aenys’ heart and left him for dead. Aenys with his dying breath cursed his brother and swore he would have his vengeance. The scroll then goes on to describe how the Children of the Forest used their magic to turn him into the Night King. The transformation was intended to bind Aenys to the ancient beings and help defend them from Men who were cutting down their sacred trees and with whom they were at war. However, the combination of magic, Dragonglass and hate in Aenys’ heart twisted it and caused him to answer to no one, and his only desire was the total destruction of Westeros. The author theorizes that if the Night King is killed, the White Walkers will all perish as well.

Taking a wild gamble the quartet don the armor of vanquished Walkers and sneak through the horde towards it’s center where the Night King telepathically commands his troops. They nearly make it but Rickon, his fear setting him on edge, draws his Dragonglass weapon too soon. The Walkers, sensing the material begin to attack from all sides. Luwin, though having been trained in combat, lacks skill and is quickly killed by a sword thrust to the abdomen. Sansa and Oberyn protect Rickon as best they can but it is obvious they are loosing ground. Suddenly a piercing scream cuts through the air and multiple blasts of fire shake the ranks of the White Walkers.

It’s Daemon riding among the ranks of the Mammoth troop with Arya Stark leading the charge the former shooting his pilfered rockets into the Walker ranks. Using the distraction to their advantage Oberyn and Sansa resume their quest to get close enough to the Night King to destroy him. The undead monarch turns his glowing eyes on them and strides forth, his minions parting easily before him. As he draws his weapon Oberyn lunges with his Dragonglass tipped spear while Sansa attacks with a pair of long daggers. They battle back and forth, a pair of Walkers standing over a disarmed Rickon. But then the Night King disarms Sansa and using his heavy boots, shatters the blades of her daggers. Oberyn, desperate to protect her lunges at the enemy and distracts him. Soon however Oberyn tries to swipe too far out at his enemy and the Night King uses the weakness to land Oberyn on his back. Using the shaft of his spear Oberyn holds off the downward attacks raining upon him. Breaking free from his captors Rickon snatches a sword from one of the Walkers and buries it into the King’s back. The weapon, not made of Dragonglass or Valyrian steel is useless. Glowing blue eyes star emotionlessly at Rickon as he is stabbed repeatedly by the surrounding Walkers. Sansa, overcome by grief and anger snatches up the largest shard she can find, and with inhuman speed and strength she plunges the weapon into the Night King’s throat. The monster grabs her by the neck and begins to squeeze but Oberyn rights himself and impales his own Dragonglass into the Night King’s chest. Releasing Sansa the creature stumbles, his movements becoming jerky and disoriented as if his joints were ceasing up. Raising his arms in rage he tries to command his soldiers to attack, but he freezes and suddenly his arms start to fall in great chunks of ice like a spring thaw upon a fjord. Soon the Night King is nothing more than a pile of ice upon the battlefield.

All around them the Walkers stop mid-battle and begin to disintegrate into swirling breaths of snow. As the area clears Arya quickly spots her sister and Oberyn and leads her troops to them. When she sees her youngest brother lying in a pool of his own blood she falls to her knees and howls more sorrowfully than any wolf.

Once the dead and injured are collected Sansa leads the way to the throne room expecting to be granted an audience with King Joffery. Instead she is told that when it appeared the Night’s Watch was loosing ground during the battle the king had poisoned himself, expecting his court to do the same. None had however, and it was now his younger brother Tommen whom sat on the throne. Tommen, barely older than Bran  gave off the appearance of a frightened child. Beside him sat his mother the Dowager Queen Cersie, her eyes shooting venom. Sansa had been forewarned that Cersie blamed her for the former king’s death. King Tommen however praised the Night’s Watch and profusely thanked them for saving Westeros. He pledged more funds, supplies and land to the Watch as well as an offer of marriage to Sansa herself. Shocked Sansa declines the offer claiming she has no head for politics and would better serve both him and the realm on the Wall to ensure the Night King and his armies never return. Tommen concedes her wisdom and assures that the Starks will forever be held in a place of esteem above all houses.

The next day Sansa and Oberyn stand at the gates of King’s Landing, their eyes memorizing every detail of one another. Taking her hands in his and placing tender kisses upon each of her knuckles he tells her that he must journey home to Dorne to tell his brother and people all that has happened. And then he must find a way to let go of the hatred and violence that has festered in his heart for so long as well as discover who he is without it. She assures him that she has faith that he will find all he seeks. She also tells him that when that day comes he knows just where to find her.

* * *

Two years later as Robb, Sansa and the others meet with Daemon Sand;  their recently appointed Strategist, a guard quickly enters the room announcing a rider has been spotted leading a large supply train bearing the standard of a red sun pierced by a golden spear, on an orange field.

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a little AU ficlet but just grew and grew and grew.  
> Read and Review!


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